


Mischief Night

by BellaRosa2187



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Halloween AU, Halloween parties, Mild Angst, Modern AU, hospital visits, mild drug references, trick-or-treating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-11 14:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16477316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaRosa2187/pseuds/BellaRosa2187
Summary: Rey and Ben Solo, newlyweds, are all dressed up in costume for a night of Halloween parties, hosted by Poe Dameron and the Hux family.  But, when Finn ends up in the hospital for an emergency surgery, Rose recruits the Solos to take her and Finn's daughters trick-or-treating.  They help out the Ticos, and that Halloween night will definitely be one no one forgets.(On Indefinite Hiatus... May or may not be updated before IX rolls around...)





	1. Trick or...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iliveinthemoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iliveinthemoon/gifts).



> This is for the Reylo Writing Den gift exchange! Reylo Moon requested Halloween costumes or trick or treating... I combined both and hope that is okay! The second part will be posted this weekend. Hope you enjoy it, Reylo Moon!
> 
> Thanks to Saturnine Feline for checking over this the other day.
> 
> Happy Halloween to all.

_ **Chapter One** _

  
Rey bit her lip in concentration as she tugged the zipper up her thigh-high black boots. Not for the first time, she regretted wearing a “sexier-than-normal” Halloween costume to go with Poe’s Wild West Halloween party theme that year. She let out a sigh once she finished zipping the boot and began putting on her cowboy hat.

Her husband’s voice caught her attention. “You should wear these boots more often...”

Rey turned around to face Ben, who also just finished putting on his own costume and was now standing right in front of her. Before she could answer, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss. Rey’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before closing them as she returned the kiss with equal vigor, running her hands over Ben’s sturdy chest, which was slightly exposed by his red and blue plaid shirt.

As they separated from the kiss, Rey moved one hand up Ben’s neck and gently stroked at his locks. “We should probably get moving if we don’t want to be late for Poe’s party.”

He kissed her again, this time on the forehead and more playfully and lightly. “There’s no such thing as being late for any party that’s hosted by Poe Dameron...”

“Eh, you’re right.” Rey conceded before jumping on her husband, wrapping her legs around his hips, and vigorously planted her lips against his.

A few moments later, while Ben was carrying Rey to their bed, her phone trilled loudly and obnoxiously. Breaking away from the latest kiss, Rey peered over to her phone and saw Rose’s name on the screen. That struck her as unusual, since Rose almost always opted to text Rey.

“Rose is calling. One second, sorry.” She picked up the phone, trying to stifle her giggles at Ben kissing his way down her neck as an attempt to distract her. “Hello Rose, Happy Halloween! What’s up?”

Rose’s voice sounded frantic as she replied to Rey. “Rey! Thank goodness you picked up! I know you and Ben were probably going to Poe’s party tonight, but do you have a couple of hours to spare? I just had to take Finn to the hospital just now, and he’s got appendicitis. He’s about to go into surgery. I have the girls with me and they’re already all dressed to go trick or treating. I called my mom, but it’ll take her about two hours for her to get here from Lafayette. Would you two mind taking the girls trick or treating tonight and watching them until my mom gets in?”

“Sure, we’d be happy to—,” Rey began before getting distracted by Ben sneaking his hands up her inner thighs. She put her phone against her chest to mute it and hissed at Ben to stop, using her free hand to push him away. “Sorry about that. We’d be happy to help. Where should we meet y’all?”

“Thank you SO much! You two are the best!” Rose gushed before giving Rey details about the hospital. Rey got up from the bed as she listened to her friend, straightening up her disheveled dress. Although slightly disappointed about things being cut short, Ben got up as well, tucked in his shirt back in, and leaned against the bedroom door while he waited for her to finish the conversation.

“So, what exactly are we helping Rose with tonight?” Ben asked after Rey wrapped up the conversation on the phone.

“We’re going to take Finn and Rose’s kids trick-or-treating tonight. I’ll explain in the car, we need to get moving,” she replied as she threw her phone into her purse and began heading towards the door. Before she walked out of the room however, she pulled down Ben quickly to give him a playful kiss. “And I promise we’ll pick up where we left off when we get back home tonight after all this.”

......

Once the Solos arrived at the operation waiting room, they found Rose sitting on one of the chairs working on a coloring page with her two daughters. Rose’s casual t-shirt contrasted with her dressy navy trousers, indicating she was in quite a rush in between getting her kids ready for trick-or-treating and taking Finn to the hospital. Rey greeted Rose and the girls as they entered the room, prompting her friend to look up and wave back with an exhausted but relieved look on her face.

The oldest girl, dressed as Tiana from the “Princess and the Frog” and wearing her hair pulled up into a fluffy bun framed by a plastic tiara, looked up from the page immediately and her dark brown eyes, which looked just like Rose’s, brightened up as she saw the Solos in the room. She ran up to them and grabbed them in a hug. “Auntie Rey! Unca Ben!”

Ben patted Paige on the shoulder while Rey bent down to hug her back. “Happy Halloween, Paige!”

“I’m not Paige. I’m Tiana,” the girl insisted, causing Rose to roll her eyes slightly.

“Just go with it. She’s been doing this every time she puts on a costume,” Rose whispered to her friends. The younger girl, who looked almost identical to Paige with the exception of her smaller size and her eyes being more like Finn’s, remained at the table, observing the scene unfolding in front of her.

Rose gestured towards her younger daughter, “Come over here, Kelly.” Kelly waddled over to the group, a little awkwardly in her puffy alligator costume, and waved at the adults shyly.

“What are you this Halloween, Kelly?” Ben asked, looking down.

“Louie the gator,” she replied.

“Their costumes are so cute, Rose! I hope the surgery goes well for Finn,” Rey commented.

Rose gave a gentle smile to her friends. “Thank you. Paige wanted Kelly to dress up as Tiana’s friend in the movie, but Kelly hates pink. So this worked out! I’m just glad we caught it in time for Finn...”

“Definitely,” Ben concurred with a nod.

“Well, we should go move the kids’ car seats to your car and get their treat bags, too.” Rose remarked.

As the five of them walked towards the elevator, Ben spoke up. “So, where do you and Finn normally take them for trick-or-treating? Anything we should know before we head out?”

Rose responded, “It’s pretty straightforward. Our street and the ones right next to it are where most of the young families are, so there’s more candy at those houses. The rest of the neighborhood tends to be quieter, but there will still be plenty of people handing out candy.”

“What if we finish trick-or-treating before your mother arrives, though?” Rey asked as they reached the exit, holding open the door for everyone else.

“It’s a pretty big neighborhood, so y’all will probably be fine. Of course, Poe lives in the same neighborhood,” Rose answered, pausing to open up her car and remove the seats. “Kaydel said she baked extra cookies for the girls this Halloween, too. If the party doesn’t seem wild yet, you could go in for a bit. I doubt his party’s going to get crazy before ten.”

“Sounds good,” Ben said as he accepted a seat from Rose and began installing it into his own car.

Once the adults finished strapping the girls into their seats, Rose spoke up, “I just noticed your costumes, sorry. You two are really killing the theme this year. Only one thing though... Rey, do you have sneakers or flip-flops with you? Your feet might get tired in those boots.”

Rey glanced down at her boots, suddenly realizing just how impractical they were for long neighborhood walks. Well, one night wouldn’t hurt anything. She shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “They’re pretty comfortable. I’ll be all right.”

Rose raised an eyebrow at her friend before responding, “Okay... Well, once again, thank you for helping out on such short notice. I’ll keep y’all updated and everything tonight. Have fun!” Rose hugged her friends and kissed her daughters on their heads before heading back into the hospital.

........

During the drive to the Ticos’ house, where Rose told them they could park as a starting point, Paige kept asking questions about her father and his surgery, while Kelly remained quiet and watched the passing buildings and trees out the window. Ben and Rey answered Paige’s questions as best as they could, and both felt slightly relieved when they finally reached the neighborhood.

Sure enough, the girls immediately started bounding off towards the first house to the right, prompting Rey to jog slightly to keep up with them while Ben locked up the car.   
The trick-or-treating process went smoothly for the first few houses, with Paige and Kelly both being cheerful and polite, along with the neighbors all being friendly so far.

Things began to take a serious turn, however, at the fourth house, just before they were about to turn the corner to the next street. As the door opened, the girls shouted, “Trick or Treat!”

The middle-aged woman who answered the door replied to them cheerfully. “Happy Halloween! What are you two this year?”

Paige replied with a smile, “I’m Princess Tiana and she’s Louie gator!”

“You look just like them! Well, here are your treats...” The woman remarked, reaching into her candy bowl to dole out treats into the individual bags. When she finished putting candies into Paige’s bag, she asked, “Where are your Mom and Dad tonight?”

“Daddy’s getting cut open, and Mama’s waiting for him,” Kelly answered abruptly, causing the woman to stand open mouthed as she looked at the adults with worried eyes.

Surprised at the normally quiet toddler’s blunt answer, Ben explained quickly, “Finn’s in an emergency surgery, and Rose is with him at the hospital. We’re helping out tonight until their grandmother gets here.”

The woman fidgeted awkwardly, composed herself, and sighed, “Poor Finn. Well, Tiana and Louie, tell your Daddy I hope he gets better soon!”

Paige replied, her smile more subdued this time, “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Kelly chimed in before they all walked away from the house. Thankfully, hardly any more neighbors inquired about Rose and Finn’s absence that night, and when they did, they asked Rey and Ben directly rather than the kids.

The bags were filling up nicely by the time they finished the houses in the first half of the neighborhood, and Paige and Kelly both still had plenty of energy for further trick-or-treating. “I always forget how much fun this can be. Free candy and costumes, what’s not to like?” Rey commented as they waited at the latest house after ringing a doorbell.

A man the same age as Rey answered the door and instead of giving the girls their treats after the greeting, he openly scanned Rey’s body up and down. He winked at her, remarking, “That costume fits in all the right places.”

Rey went slack-jawed in shock. “Excuse me?”

Ben took a step forward in front of Rey and the Tico children and stared down at the man with a hard glare. The man gulped in response. “The costume fits your body in all the right places too, sir.”

“Do you have treats for the children or not?” Ben replied tersely, not breaking his stare from the man. The man quickly gave the girls large handfuls of candy and immediately closed the door afterwards.

Thankfully there were no more incidents or awkward moments for the remainder of that street. As the group made their way to the next street, the girls began slowing down their paces.

Kelly stopped suddenly and plopped down on the grassy side of the street. “I’m tired,” she whined.

“Do you want to go home?” Ben asked.

The toddler shook her head before replying, “No. I want more candy.”

Before Ben could answer, he heard Rey make a frantic exclamation. “Paige! Do not kiss that frog! Let it go!”

He turned his head and noticed Rey trying to coax Paige to give up the small tree frog currently in the girl’s hands. “Where did Paige get that frog?”

“I found it on this mailbox!” Paige announced proudly.

Keeping her attention on the older sister, Rey sighed and asked more softly, “Please give me the frog...”

While Rey continued talking with Paige, Ben turned to Kelly. “Do you want me to carry you?” He asked, prompting a nod from the toddler. He obliged and hoisted her on his back.

“I’m bigger than you, Auntie Rey!” Kelly shouted with a broad smile, spreading out her arms to make like she was flying.

Paige took notice of her tiny younger sister on her giant uncle’s shoulders, finally released the frog, and chimed in, “Can you carry me next, Unca Ben? Please?”

Ben agreed to do so, bringing a smile to both Rey and Paige’s faces, and he took turns carrying the girls for the upcoming street.

Four houses later, an old woman with wide eyes and a collared shirt answered the door. Like the man from the previous street, she ignored the children and immediately stared down the couple. Unlike the man, the next words out of her mouth were of a different nature. “Your costumes are so inappropriate for this kind of neighborhood. Sexy Toy Story characters? Seriously? You two couldn’t be bothered to cover up your chests some more?”

Rey rolled her eyes and didn’t even bother to hide the irritation in her voice when she responded. “First of all, we are not Toy Story characters. Secondly, our costumes really aren’t that revealing. Why does it matter what me and my husband are wearing? Now, I believe these two girls just asked trick-or-treat.”

“Just saying, you really should be setting a better example for the children,” the other woman sneered, still not bothering to address the girls directly.

Rey scoffed and took the childrens’ free hands. “Let’s go girls, she probably doesn’t have anything but toothpaste for y’all.”

“Blech,” Paige commented as they walked away from the door, causing the old lady to look at them with further distaste.

Once they gained some distance from the curmudgeon’s house, Rey leaned over to Ben and spoke softly to him. “My feet are killing me... You’ve been taking turns carrying the kids for a while now. Do you think we could go make a quick stop at Poe’s?”

“After that latest house, I think that is probably a wise decision. We can call up Rose when we get to Poe’s too, and get their status,” Ben replied. With that decided, the four of them turned around and began making their way towards Poe’s house, about two streets from their current location.


	2. Or Treat?

**_Chapter Two: Or Treat?_ **

By the time the Solos reached Poe’s house with the Tico girls in tow, they noticed that a good number of cars already filled the street on either side of the block.  Once they knocked on the door, Rey glanced at her watch and made a remark to Ben. “It’s only seven... I can’t believe there are already that many cars here.”

Before Ben could respond, Poe threw the door wide open and greeted them exuberantly.  “Happy Halloween!”  He spoke to the children first. “And, you two are Tiana and Louie?” 

“Yes!  Happy Halloween, Unca Poe!” Paige exclaimed and Kelly nodded with a shy smile. 

After Poe gave his godchildren hugs, he spoke to the adults, “Great choice of costumes, Rey and Ben!  Glad y’all could make it tonight.”

While watching the adults chat, Paige frowned at Poe in confusion, realizing her godfather wore just an unbuttoned vest and jeans with chaps. “Where’s your shirt?  It’s cold.” 

Rey and Ben cracked up at Paige’s comment while Poe chuckled sheepishly, quickly buttoning up his vest. “It’s not cold inside the house, Paige, and I ran out of shirts.  Anyway... Come on in!  Have any of y’all had dinner yet?” 

Ben replied to Poe as they made their way inside.  “Rose said she gave the kids some food at the hospital, but Rey and I haven’t eaten yet tonight. Everything happened so fast tonight with Finn being in the hospital.” 

“Well, the night’s still young, so we have a ton of jambalaya, snacks, and desserts.  The dining area’s still pretty quiet, so that might be a good place for y’all to hang out while here,” Poe suggested, leading them towards the dining room and passing by the living room, where there were already at least around twenty people chatting. In all likelihood, there were just as many other people sprawled throughout the house and backyard at this time, which explained the crowded street outside. 

“How many people did you and Kaydel invite this year, anyway?” Rey asked once they reached the food table.

“Oh, maybe about a hundred...” A female voice chimed in behind Rey, causing her to turn around to face Kaydel.

Rey grinned and hugged the petite blonde, who was dressed as a saloon barmaid.  “Kaydel! Happy Halloween!” 

“Happy Halloween to y’all too!”  Kaydel replied as she began handing out bowls of jambalaya to the Solos and Ticos.  Once they all sat down at their seats at a nearby table, the blonde continued talking. “Any updates on Finn this evening, by the way?” 

Rey replied while still finishing a bite, causing Ben to shake his head in mild amusement at her eating manners, which had only improved marginally since leaving the foster system at eighteen.  “About ten minutes ago, Rose said he was about to leave surgery, so he’ll be in the recovery room soon...” 

Rey brought a hand up to her mouth as she swallowed then continued speaking. “The surgery went smoothly, although the doctors said that the appendix was ruptured. So it’ll be a long recovery for Finn, but he should be okay now. And I saw that, Ben!  Don’t judge!” She playfully jabbed her husband with her elbow before returning to her bowl.

“Not judging!” Ben remarked as he leaned in to give Rey a quick kiss on her head. A few moments later, a fat orange and white corgi wearing a cowboy hat bounded into the room and charged towards the group, his docked tail wagging happily. 

“BB-eight!”  Kelly bounded out of her seat at the sight of the dog, knocking over her chair and leaving her half-eaten bowl on the table.  Ben quickly caught the chair before it hit the floor, set aside his own empty bowl, and got up to supervise Kelly and BB-eight playing while everyone else finished eating.

Once Paige was done eating, she spotted Kaydel cutting into a tray of brownies on a kitchen counter.  “Auntie Kay? May I have a brownie, please?” 

Kaydel stopped cutting and replied to the girl as she reached for a nearby tupperware container.  “Oh no, sweetie, the brownies are for the grown-ups.  You don’t want these.  I have cookies just for you and Kelly!  Would you like one now?”

“Yeah!”  Paige replied with a bright smile, jumping off her chair and scampering towards the kitchen for cookies. 

“Grown-up brownies...?”  Rey asked Kaydel as she followed Paige into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’ll serve the brownies after you and the kids head out.  Don’t worry.  No one in here’s high right now,” Kaydel answered as she handed the girl an orange frosted sugar cookie shaped like a pumpkin.

“That’s reassuring,” Rey quipped.

“Oh good!” Kaydel exclaimed, unironically and cheerfully, as she closed up the box and put it back on the counter.  “Don’t forget to take these with y’all when you leave, by the way.”

As the blonde talked, a slim woman with black hair dressed as a sheriff popped into the kitchen, “Did I hear something about brownies?  Oh hey, Rey!” 

As Rey returned the greeting, Jessika was also met with a greeting from Paige.  “Hey Paige! You look just like Tiana!  Rey, I thought Finn was in the hospital?” 

After Rey updated Jessika on how she and Ben were taking the girls trick-or-treating that night until Rose’s mother got into town, Kaydel changed the topic.  “How did your Bumble date go, Jessika?” 

Jessika sighed and shook her head.  “Awful!  Right off the bat, the guy said we should go to his place and wouldn’t shut up about hooking up, so I said to him, I’m _not_ clean and I’m _not_ on the pill—”

Rey covered up Paige’s ears once Jessika mentioned hook-ups and glanced nervously at Kelly, still playing with the corgi.  Hopefully, her gator hood muffled the conversation enough, and she didn’t hear Jessika.  Rey shouted out,  “Jessika! Can you talk about something more appropriate in front of the girls or go somewhere else?" 

“Oh yeah, sorry,” Jessika replied with an embarrassed grin, “I’ll tell you the rest of the story later, Kay.” 

The women continued chatting until a few moments later, when Kelly interrupted by asking for a cookie as well.  Ben used the chance to talk to Rey and suggest that they move on, since the party was getting crazier. 

 

.......

As it turned out, Rose’s mother forgot her purse at her house and had to turn back halfway through the drive, only to be met with a three car wreck that caused extra delay before she reached her home. On top of that, Finn hadn’t yet woken up from his surgery.  The time estimate was now two or three hours before the Solos could bring the Tico girls back to their parents and grandmother. 

So, Ben checked in with Armie to see whether it was okay to bring the kids over to the party that he and Phasma were hosting, and Armie confirmed that the party was more formal and less wild than Poe’s.  After all, he and Phasma had teen children who would be in and out of the house that night. On top of that, Armie mentioned that his neighborhood was great for trick-or-treating.

Once they reached the Huxs’ neighborhood, Rey and Ben noticed that while there were plenty of houses handing out treats, there were also more than a few houses that simply had bowls set outside their doors. And it seemed that prior trick-or-treaters had already emptied out every single one of those bowls. 

When they reached the Huxs’ house, Phasma greeted them and welcomed them inside. “The food’s starting to run low again... Come with me to the kitchen.” Phasma gestured, giving the Solos and the Ticos the cue to follow her. As they all entered the kitchen, the sight of Armie arguing with a neighbor at the back door greeted them. 

The neighbor, a middle-aged woman with a sleek bob, shouted an accusation at Armie. “This is the third year in a row your son and his punk friends have stolen the candy bowls on Halloween night!  I have camera evidence this time!  They’re too old to be trick-or-treating in the first place!” 

Armie calmly retorted with a sneer at the woman. “At least they’re not out doing drugs or drinking and driving.  You’re only young once!  Besides, did you just admit that you have no proof these three stole the bowls the other two years?” 

A trio of teenage boys dressed in gory zombie costumes, the culprit of the argument, busied themselves at a kitchen counter splitting a large amount of candy. Paige’s eyes widened at the giant pile. Phasma caught her son’s attention. “Mitt, y’all are going to split the candy with your sister and these girls, correct?”

The tall blond boy turned his head towards his mother and nodded with an innocent expression.  “Yes, Mom. We’re sharing the candy.”  

“See?  They’re not keeping it all for themselves, now if that’s all, we are in the middle of hosting a party.  I suggest actually handing out the treats yourself if you’re actually at home instead of just parking your butt in front of the monitor watching the candy bowl like some pervert. Good night!”  Armie remarked snidely before shutting the door on the woman before she could even respond.  

“Everything okay now?” Ben commented at his co-worker from the law firm. 

Armie jumped in surprise at the new voice and faced the guests standing in his kitchen.  “Hello Ben! That crazy neighbor’s a busybody and tries to find trouble with everything.  It’s fine, but I’m sorry y’all had to see that.  Good to see you and Rey.  Finn and Rose did a nice job with the kids’ costumes, and they were your flower girls last summer, right?” 

Before either Rey or Ben could respond, Mitt interjected abruptly, shoving a large plastic bag in front of the girls’ faces. “Here.”

“Mitt!” Phasma warned as she emptied a tray of meat and cheese appetizers onto a platter.

The teen rolled his eyes before addressing the girls. “Sorry, here’s your candy, happy Halloween!”

“What do you say, kiddos?”  Rey remarked with a forced smile as she accepted the bag from Mitt, feeling awkward at the situation that just went down in the kitchen.  Paige and Kelly gave their thanks and wished happy Halloween in response. 

Armie shook his head nonchalantly and began exiting the kitchen. “Teenagers.  Anyway, I’ll show y’all where Sloane and her friend are watching movies. They can watch the kids while y’all come and have a drink with the rest of us.”

Once they left Paige and Kelly with Sloane and her friend, Rey and Ben immediately found two spare chairs and seized the chance to rest their weary feet, opting to chat with whoever was nearby.  While the party was tamer than Poe’s, they found no shortage of good company, food, and drinks.  Rey and Ben took turns every fifteen or so minutes to check on the girls to make sure everything was okay.  It looked like the night was finally settling down for all the parties involved.

Except that things got crazy once again over an hour later, when it was Rey’s turn to check on the girls in the rec room.  Hocus Pocus played on the TV while Sloane painted Paige’s fingernails with a bright, glittery orange polish.  Her friend Michelle focused on painting her own toenails. Rey’s eyes widened in panic as she noticed that Kelly was nowhere to be seen in the room.  She glanced around once again before asking, “Where’s Kelly?”

Sloane shrugged, still concentrating on Paige’s nails. “I don’t know. Maybe she went to the bathroom?”

Rey immediately rushed to the nearest bathroom, but the door was wide open and no one was in there. She headed back to the rec room, but Kelly was still missing. She began looking in other rooms for Kelly, eventually bumping into Phasma who asked her what happened.  As soon as Rey told Phasma about Kelly, the taller woman walked directly to the rec room and immediately called Sloane and Michelle to attention.

“Y’all need to pay attention! Where was Kelly the last time y’all saw her in here?”

Michelle immediately responded, throwing up her hands in defense. “She was right next to me when I started painting my toes, I promise!”

Phasma’s redheaded daughter quickly added to Michelle’s comment. “She was watching the movie the whole time.  She’s so quiet, so we didn’t know when she left the room. We can help y’all look for her!”

“Kelly’s a baby!  You can’t just take your eyes off her and think everything’s fine just because you don’t hear her.  Y’all stay right here while we go find her!” Phasma commanded before giving an extra warning to her own daughter. “If you let Paige out of your sight, too, you’re grounded!” 

Rey thought she saw Sloane rolling her eyes at her mother’s threat, but she said nothing as she and Phasma left the room to look for the toddler. After ten minutes of frantic searching, Rey spotted the tail to Kelly’s costume peeking out from underneath the kitchen table.  She bent down and saw the toddler sitting on the floor with at least two cupcake wrappers on one side and on the other side, a large orange tabby cat curled up against her.  The orange and black streaks on her face, hands, and costume confirmed her eating binge. 

Rey looked at the mess with her eyes wide in disbelief, not sure whether to laugh or cry at the sight.  “Phasma, I found Kelly!”

Ben heard Rey shouting from the next room and arrived in the kitchen at the same time as Phasma. Ben spoke up first, watching Rey pick up Kelly and place her on the counter next to the sink. “What’s going on here?  And why does Kelly have frosting all over her?” 

Rey sighed as she wet a dishrag under the faucet.  “Kelly snuck out of the rec room without saying anything, it seems, as the girls didn’t know she was gone until I went to check. Apparently she wanted cupcakes.” 

“One more, pease?” Kelly asked as her aunt began the process of wiping off the frosting.  Rey tried to stifle a laugh before declining the toddler’s request.

“Ugh!  She got cupcake stuff all over Millicent!” Phasma complained as she picked up the orange cat from underneath the table.  Rey turned around and noticed that the cat had multiple streaks of black frosting and chocolate crumbs on her fur after all. 

“I’ll clean her up.” Ben quickly volunteered, reaching out for the cat. 

Phasma chuckled as she walked over to the sink. “You make that sound easier than it is, Ben.  I’ll hold down Millicent while you wipe her off.” 

Just as Ben began to wipe down Millicent’s head, trying to avoid getting bitten, Armie entered the room with a frown. “Is there a reason why there’s a cleaning party going on in here all of a sudden?” 

Phasma loosened her grip on Millicent as she faced her husband to explain the situation.  That action also led to the cat freeing herself from her owner’s grasp and scratching Ben on the face before running away. 

“Ah!  Dammit!” Ben shouted as he brought a hand up to the scratch on his right cheek, prompting everyone in the room to divert their attention to him.

After everyone finished tending to Kelly’s mess and Ben’s face, Rey and Ben decided to call it a night and head back to their own place.  They might as well just relax while waiting for Rose to give them the heads up to bring the girls back to their parents and grandmother. While they began driving out of the Huxs’ neighborhood, Kelly began whining. 

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Rey asked. 

“I don’t feel good,” Kelly replied pitifully. Sure enough, a few moments later, the unmistakable sound of a toddler throwing up in the backseat reached Rey and Ben’s ears.

“Great.”  Ben commented as he stopped the car and put it into park, while Rey immediately scrambled to get out of the car. While his wife busied herself with wiping down Kelly once again, Ben realized they were relatively close to his parents’ house. He reached for his phone and called up his parents.  There was a chance they weren’t around that night, but it wouldn’t hurt to call. 

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just upped the chapter count, because the fic is turning out to be longer than expected! And since it's December, the final chapter will be a holiday themed epilogue! Thanks to everyone for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscribes! Hope y'all enjoy this and have a wonderful holiday season! As always, feel free to leave feedback in the comments!


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